Mascot mobile

ABSTRACT

A crib mobile is provided which contains a plurality of figures which are a mascot for an institution such as a university or college or a figure associated with a professional baseball team. The crib mobile includes a central support member, and a plurality of arms extending from the central support member. At least one figure adorned with indicia selected from the group consisting of a particular sports team, a particular institution, and a particular sport is attached to the arms by a length of material such as string. The crib mobile also has a mechanism for playing a song associated with the particular sports team, the particular institution, or the particular sport.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to mobiles, and, more particularly, to mobiles which are associated with college, universities, and professional sporting institutions.

Mobiles are common nursery accessories. There are a number of different types of mobiles. For example, there are switch-activated, motor driven ones; there are sound activated, motor driven ones; there are wound helical spring ones; and there are mobiles which require hand or wind movement for any rotation to occur. The one thing that most mobiles have in common are suspended objects that move upon activation. U.S. Pat. No. 4,756,109 to Marcus; U.S. Pat. No. 5,352,145 to Raiffe et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,951,360 to Fearon et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,447,362 to Khamphilavong et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,475,057 to Norman; published U.S. patent application No. 2001/0055931 to Khamphilavong et al.; and Design Pat. Nos. 327,714 to Meigs; 349,735 to Cacciola et al.; 383,172 to Allegre; and 394,678 to Espinoza illustrate some of these mobiles.

Despite the existence of these mobiles, there remains a need for newer mobiles which are attractive to consumers and which build loyalty between consumers and certain institutions and/or professional sports.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a mobile which has an affiliation with a particular sport and/or institution.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a mobile which includes a song which relates to the particular sport and/or institution.

The foregoing objects are attained by the mobile of the present invention.

In accordance with the invention, a mobile comprises a central support member, a plurality of arms extending from the central support member, at least one figure adorned with indicia selected from the group consisting of a particular sports team, a particular institution and a particular sport, means for attaching the at least one figure to at least one of the arms, and means for playing a song associated with the particular sports team, the particular institution, or the particular sport.

Other details of the mascot mobile of the present invention, as well as other objects and advantages attendant thereto, are set forth in the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals depict like elements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of mascot mobile in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a support arm for mounting the mobile to a static structure;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing a support arm mounted to a wall;

FIG. 4A is a sectional view of a disk shaped member housing a motor for causing rotation of said mobile and a song playing mechanism;

FIG. 4B is a side view of the disk shaped member;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an end of one of the arms of the mobile;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the manner of connecting the mobile to a crib rail;

FIG. 7 is an exploded view of a portion of the mobile of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a mobile in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a mascot mobile 10 in accordance with the present invention. The mascot mobile 10 includes a support arm 12 for mounting the mobile 10 to a static structure such as a rail 58 of a crib or a wall 62. Attached to the support arm 12 is a disk shaped member 14. As will be discussed hereinafter, the disk shaped member 14 houses a motor 16 for causing rotational movement of a portion of the mobile 10 and a mechanism 18 for playing a song. Attached to the disk shaped member 14 is a central support member 20 with a plurality of arms 22 that radiate outwardly therefrom.

As can be seen in FIG. 5, each arm 22 has a slot 24 at an end 26 remote from the central support member 20. Attached to the end of each arm 22 is a FIG. 28 (see FIGS. 1 and 8) or a sport related item 30 (see FIG. 8). The FIG. 28 and/or sport related item 30 may be attached to a respective arm 22 by a length of material 32, such as a length of string, having a knot 34 at one end 36. The other end 38 of the length of material 32 may be attached to the FIG. 28 or the sport related item 30 in any suitable manner known in the art, such as by stitching, gluing, etc. The FIG. 28 and/or the sport related item 30 is preferably a plush item formed from a piece of soft material which contains a stuffing.

As shown in FIG. 1, a pennant 40 may be attached to the length of material 32 and may be positioned between the FIG. 28 or the sport related item 30 and the end 26 of the arm 22. The pennant 40 may have any suitable shape known in the art. For example, the pennant 40 may have a triangular shape. The pennant 40 may be formed from any suitable material known in the art and preferably is formed from a soft fabric material.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the support arm 12 may have a first arm 42, a connector 44, and a second arm 46 having an arcuate shaped end portion 48. The first arm 42 preferably has a threaded portion 50 at one end and a narrowed portion 52 at a second end. The first arm 42 also has a shoulder 47 designed to rest against an upper surface of a rail 58 of a crib when the support arm 12 is mounted to a crib. The narrowed portion 52 has the same shape as the interior of the connector 44 and preferably snap fits into the interior of the connector 44. The second arm 46 also preferably has a narrowed portion 54 which also has the same shape as the interior of the connector 44 and which also preferably snap fits into the interior of the connector 44. The portions 52 and 54 remain within the connector 44 by frictional contact between the portions 52 and 54 and the walls of the connector 44. The arcuate shaped end portion 48 is preferably provided with an aperture 56.

Referring now to FIG. 6, the support arm 12 may be connected to a rail 58 of a crib by positioning the shoulder 47 on an upper surface of the rail 58. The threaded portion 50 is preferably positioned under the rail 58. A nut or knob-shaped member 60, having an interior thread (not shown), engages the threaded portion 50 and secures the support arm 12 to the rail 58 of the crib.

As shown in FIG. 3, the support arm 12 may alternatively be mounted to a wall 62 instead of a rail of a crib. In this type of arrangement, the first arm 42 is omitted. The connector 44 may be provided with two slots 64 by which securement devices 66, such as screws or bolts, may be used to mount the connector 44 to the wall 62. After the connector 44 has been secured to the wall 62, the second arm 46 may be inserted in the connector 44.

Referring now to FIG. 7, the disk shaped member 14 preferably has a hook 70 at an upper end and a loop shaped element 72 at a lower end. The hook 70 is positioned within the aperture 56 to connect the disk shaped member 14 to the second arm 46. As can be seen from this figure, the central support member 20 may be provided with a hook 74 which fits into the loop shaped element 72 and thus connects the central support member 20 to the disk shaped element 14.

Referring now to FIGS. 4A and 4B, the disk shaped member 14 houses a motor 16 which causes rotation of a shaft 80 to which the hook 70 is attached. The motor 16 may comprise any suitable motor known in the art, such as a spring motor. As previously discussed, the disk shaped member 14 also houses the mechanism 18 for playing a song. The song playing mechanism 18 may comprise any suitable means known in the art for playing a song such as a preprogrammed chip. Alternatively, the mechanism 18 may comprise a drum 100 having a plurality of raised portions 102, which may represent the notes of the song, and a plurality of metal fingers 104, attached to the housing 106 forming the disk shaped member, for contacting the raised portions 102 and creating sound. The disk shaped member 14 also preferably has a manual wind-up member 82 which may be connected to the motor 16 so as to actuate the motor when manually wound. Any suitable connection known in the art may be used to allow the wind-up member 82 to actuate the motor 16. A gearing arrangement 106 cooperates with the motor 16 to rotate the drum 102 and thus causes the song to play. The gearing arrangement 106 may be any suitable gearing arrangement known in the art. The shaft 80 may be attached to the drum 102 using any suitable means known in the art so that the shaft 80 rotates as the drum 102 rotates. Attached to the end of the shaft 80 is the hook 70 which joins the disk shaped member 14 to the support arm 12. As a result of the rotation of the shaft 80, the disk shaped member 14 rotates, and thus the central support member 20 and the arms 22 rotate, relative to the support arm 12.

In one embodiment of the mobile of the present invention, the FIG. 28 suspended from the arms 22 may be a stuffed animal representative of a sports team or school mascot such as a dog, an orange, a warrior, a ram, a panther, a cat, etc. The team or school mascot may be one associated with a particular university or college. Preferably, the stuffed animal is adorned with a garment or other indicia bearing one or more letters associated with the particular university or college. The pennant 40 may also bear one or more letters associated with the particular university or college. Still further, the FIG. 28 and/or the pennants 40 may be colors associated with the particular university or college. The song played by the mechanism 18 may be a song associated with the particular university or college such as a school fight song or a school alma mater.

In an alternative embodiment of the mobile of the present invention, the FIG. 28 may be a mascot associated with a professional sports team or may be a replica of a player wearing a team uniform or other indicia associated with a particular sports team. The song played by the mechanism 18 may be a song associated with the professional sports team or a song associated with the professional sport. If desired, the pennants 40 may be in colors associated with the professional sports team and may be adorned with a team logo or other indicia associated with the professional sports team.

In still another embodiment of the mobile of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 8, the FIG. 28 may be figures representative of a particular sport bearing indicia representative of the sport. Instead of each arm 22 having a FIG. 28 suspended from it, one or more of the arms 22 may have an item 30 identified with the sport suspended from one or more of the arms 22. For example, the sports related item 30 may be a baseball bat, a glove, a football, a hockey stick, a lacrosse stick, a basketball, a volleyball, etc. The pennants 40 may have any desired color pattern. Here again, the song played by the mechanism 18 may be any song associated with the particular sport.

In operation, the mobile 10 is mounted to a crib or a wall so that it is suspended above a desired location. For example, the mobile 10 may be suspended above a baby crib so that the figures are out of the reach of a baby within the crib, but in the baby's field of vision. When the motor 16 is manually activated, the arms 22 of the mobile 10 and the FIG. 28 and/or sports related items 30 attached to the arms 22 rotate and the song begins to play.

It is apparent that there has been provided in accordance with the present invention a mascot mobile which fully satisfies the objects, means, and advantages set forth hereinbefore. While the present invention has been described in the context of specific embodiments thereof, other alternatives, modifications, and variations will become apparent to those skilled in the art having read the foregoing description. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace those alternatives, modifications, and variations as fall within the broad scope of the appended claims. 

1. A mobile comprising: a central support member; a plurality of arms radiating from said central support member; means for supporting said central support member; at least one figure adorned with indicia selected from the group consisting of a particular sports team, and a particular institution; said at least one figure comprising a replica of a team mascot; means for attaching said at least one figure to at least one of said arms; means for playing a song associated with said particular sports team, said particular institution, or a particular sport; and said at least one song playing means being positioned between said central support member and said supporting means.
 2. A mobile according to claim 1, further comprising at least one pennant secured to said attaching means and positioned between said at least one figure and an end of said at least one arm.
 3. A mobile according to claim 2, wherein said pennant has indicia representative of said sports team or said institution.
 4. A mobile according to claim 1, further comprising said means for supporting said central support member comprising means for supporting said central support member above a crib.
 5. A mobile according to claim 4, wherein said supporting means comprises a first arm having means for securing said first arm to a rail of a crib at a first end, a connecting member attached to said first arm at a second end, and a second arm having an arcuate portion attached to said connecting member.
 6. A mobile according to claim 5, further comprising: said first arm having a threaded portion; and means for engaging said threaded portion.
 7. A mobile according to claim 1, further comprising said supporting means comprising an arm for supporting said central support member and means for mounting said arm to a wall.
 8. A mobile according to claim 7, wherein said mounting means comprises a connecting member having a pair of slots and securing means for cooperating with said slots to mount said connecting member to said wall.
 9. A mobile according to claim 4, further comprising means for securing said central support member to said supporting means.
 10. A mobile according to claim 9, wherein said securing means comprises a disk shaped member having a hook at one end and a loop element at a second end and wherein said hook engages an aperture in said supporting means and said loop element engages a hook attached to said central support member.
 11. A mobile according to claim 10, wherein said song playing means is positioned within said disk shaped member.
 12. A mobile according to claim 11, wherein said disk shaped member contains a motor for causing said disk shaped member to rotate relative to said supporting means and means for initiating rotation of said disk shaped member and playing of said song by said song playing means.
 13. A mobile according to claim 12, wherein said initiating means comprises a wind-up member attached to a side wall of said disk shaped member. 14-16. (canceled)
 17. A mobile according to claim 1, further comprising a replica of an item associated with a particular sport attached to at least one of said arms.
 18. A mobile according to claim 1, wherein each of said arms has a slot in an end portion and said attaching means comprises a length of material which passes through said slot and is attached to said at least one figure.
 19. A mobile according to claim 18, further comprising a pennant attached to said length of material.
 20. A crib mobile comprising: means for supporting said mobile above a surface of said crib; a plurality of arms attached to said supporting means; a figure attached to each of said arms by a length of material; each said figure bearing indicia associated with at least one of a team or an institution; and a pennant attached to each length of material and positioned between said figure and a respective one of said arms.
 21. A crib mobile according to claim 20, further comprising said supporting means including means for rotating said arms.
 22. A crib mobile according to claim 21, further comprising said supporting means including means for playing a song associated with said figure.
 23. A crib mobile according to claim 22, wherein said mascot comprises an institutional mascot and said song comprises a song associated with said institution.
 24. A crib mobile according to claim 22, wherein said mascot comprises a mascot wearing a uniform associated with a particular team and said song comprises a song associated with said particular team.
 25. (canceled)
 26. A crib mobile according to claim 5, wherein said first arm has a shoulder portion for resting on a rail of said crib.
 27. A crib mobile according to claim 5, further comprising said song playing means being positioned within a disk shaped member, a hook projecting outwardly from said disk shaped member, and said second arm having an aperture for receiving said hook shaped member.
 28. A crib mobile according to claim 27, wherein said disk shaped member is rotatable relative to said hook.
 29. A mobile comprising: a plurality of arms radiating from a central support structure for rotation with said central support member; a replica of a mascot being connected to each of said arm, said mascot bearing indicia associate with at least one of a particular sports team and a particular institution; and means connected to said central support structure for playing a song associated with said at least one of said particular sports team and said particular institution. 